The invention relates to novelty items added to consumer products including food or beverage containers, wrappers and other packaging.
Cereal companies have employed toys or other premiums inside boxes or containers to stimulate consumer interest in their products. Rings, toys, books, comics and the like have been included in boxes or affixed to food containers to add value to the purchase of a particular cereal or snack. Producers of other products such as packaged goods and foodstuffs sold in cans, bottles, cones, tubes, rolls, tubs or other containers have found it difficult, expensive or otherwise impractical to add a xe2x80x9cpremium play elementxe2x80x9d or collectible value to their products because there has not been an efficient and cost effective method to consistently deliver the premium to the consumer without investing in other equipment to insert the premium into or onto a package.
Cereal boxes provide a large, dry environment for reception of a toy or other premiums, while cans, tubs, bottles and other containers do not allow for the insertion of premiums because of the potential contamination and safety hazards for consumers. To place an item on a package traditionally has necessitated additional packaging equipment that may not otherwise be available to the packager. The addition of this equipment often results in the reduction of production line speed and the reconfiguration of a manufacturing or packaging line adds time and expense to the product that increases the added up-front costs associated with including the premium in the food product. Premiums are therefore unlikely to be added or to be used by a variety of manufacturers.
The backs of labels have been used to deliver coupons or special messages for consumers but they have been limited to standard printing inks and paper, with no real play or collectible value for children or adults. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,054,826 and 1,756,944 disclose the use of labels on canned goods that includes information, such as recipes printed on the inside surface of the label. U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,149 discloses a label having a game of chance positioned on the back side of a label and U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,664 discloses the incorporation of a puzzle onto a label or packaging.
The addition of each type of unique play premium to packaging wrappers creates its own unique problems since the addition of pigments, or non-traditional inks or substrates and materials on the front or back surface of a wrapper can raise the premium above the surface of the wrapper material. Wrappers are generally dispensed from magazines or trays during assembly and/or loading and the automated incorporation of the food into a wrapper or a wrapper onto a container of food or beverage generally requires that the wrapper sit flat and provide an essentially uniform thickness throughout to avoid reconfiguration of the wrapper assembly and packaging and to maintain uniformity and accuracy in the process of adding the food to the wrapper or adding the wrapper to a food or beverage container.
A variety of children play toys, activities and novelty items are known, including, but not limited to, self adhesive or remoistable adhesive stickers, activity books with a number of activities such as paintable inks, such as inks paintable with water or other safe solvents, transfers, tattoos, scratch-off type hiding activities for adults or children, glow-in-the-dark pictures, xe2x80x9cscratch and sniffxe2x80x9d type activity books, and the like. Despite their attraction to children and adults, these types of activities are virtually impossible to efficiently deliver as a collectible premium on many consumer products because of their cost in manufacture, the need for additional equipment to facilitate the addition of the premium to a product and the rate at which the assembly process must normally be slowed to facilitate and verify premium placement and assembly.
Traditional label or wrapper application processes often employ heat. Depending on how the wrapper is applied, high temperatures can compromise a premium that is closely associated with a wrapper. Heat, for example, can cause both pressure sensitive and remoist adhesives to melt, migrate, burn or cause equipment to jam during the packaging process. The addition of premium stickers or other novelty items to packaging would generally require the reconfiguration of the packing or labeling equipment. This added cost becomes prohibitive since the costs cannot be passed readily to the consumer. Many pre-manufactured pressure sensitive or self adhesive materials are far more expensive than traditional wrapper or label paper and the added cost of these materials, in addition to the glues, special inks, die cutting, etc., in any quantity added to food packaging becomes economically prohibitive particularly because the assembly is often performed as separate independent manufacturing steps. In addition, the self adhesive or remoistable adhesive materials do not have the same application properties as labels comprising paper. Due to their stiffness and rigidity, they require expensive resins, solvents or hot glues for application. Pre-made pressure-sensitive materials, especially films, may also conduct static electricity. Moreover, the premade films tend to curl when cut and placed in a tray or magazine thereby making it undesirable for automated labeling schemes. In addition, the stickers may be affected by the heat or cold of the cans, packages or containers as they exit the manufacturing line off of a cooker, bottling equipment, wrapper, or the like.
Stickers, for example, have been used as a play device by children for many years and they have been popular as a collectable item in many forms including a variety of stamps, reward by teachers and parents, as games, as trading items between children and to incorporate the stickers into a picture in a book or on a poster. Methods for producing multiple ply labels are known and methods for manufacturing multiple labels are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,756,944 to Gordon. This type of paper has little intrinsic value as a play piece or as a collectible item to a child or adult or as a value added item on products.
Preferred collectible stickers and other premiums must be positioned with accuracy on the label surface to fit within the confines of the overall wrapper. For example, a large area for stickers, taking up 25% or more of the label, needs to be repeatably positioned relative to the edges of the label to facilitate automation. U.S. Pat. No. 1,756,944 to Gordon does not disclose methods to provide the positioning accuracy that would permit efficient delivery of the stickers. It is also difficult to xe2x80x9ckiss cutxe2x80x9d or die cut only through the pressure sensitive layer of a two ply label construction (i.e. self adhesive sticker paper and release base) without cutting through the base material of a two ply construction that is flexible and pliable enough to be efficiently wrapped around a product. Previous attempts have resulted in tremendous waste and inefficiency. The rolls or webs that could possibly be used to manufacture a suitable pressure sensitive material are generally narrow, adding to the expense and inefficiency since labels are generally produced on wide web or sheet fed presses that allow for fast and efficient manufacturing.
The present invention relates to the addition of value to a consumer package, or portion thereof Through the addition of a play or collectible premium to the packaging. The play premiums of this invention are integrally provided as a premium on a portion of a consumer package to increase the value of the product package or advertising. The collectible premiums are positioned on at least one surface of the consumer packaging for the use and enjoyment of children or adults who purchase or consume the products in the can, bottle, wrapper, container or other package. In a preferred embodiment, the collectible or play premiums are positioned on either the front or the back face of the packaging. Once the packaging containing the premium is emptied of product, trimmed, if necessary, or removed from the container and/or separated from the label, the premium is available for the use and enjoyment of a child or adult.
In one embodiment, the play premium is a sticker and the sticker is produced directly on the surface of a label. Advertising graphics related to product identification and/or source or other information is added to the label. Preferably the stickers are produced on the label at the same time as the label is printed with advertising or other information. The simultaneous manufacturing of the stickers onto the labeling material by printing applying glue, die cutting and trimming assures that the application equipment will not be hampered by stacks of uneven labels that bulge or stick together because of glue coatings or uneven label trimming. The stickers are integral with the label and the label with the stickers has an essentially uniform thickness.
The present invention also relates to a method to produce and dispense labels that does not require any special application equipment in the manufacturing plants or changes in the manufacturing process at the packaging, canning or bottling facility. Unlike stickers xe2x80x9cdie cutxe2x80x9d into relatively thick materials, such as standard weight pressure sensitive materials, the labels of this invention do not significantly slow down the production lines, and the process is not affected by heat or cold from the cans or containers as they exit the manufacturing line and are affixed onto the container.
By producing the premium directly on the back or front surface of the label, one is assured that the premium is delivered on each and every package that moves through the packaging line. Electric eyes verify that every package is labeled on the packaging line. When premiums are independently affixed to a package, it is much more difficult to confirm that the premium is on every container. When premiums are independently affixed to a package, both accurate placement of the premium and even delivery of the label or premium on every product is reduced. The use of a sticker or stamp premium that is integral with the label assures that the premium is delivered to each package and this invention provides options for delivery of the premium using a label material of about the same weight, grade and performance as the material that is currently in use in the consumer product. Little or no additional verification equipment becomes necessary and no substantial reengineering, retooling or reconfiguration of the packaging process is needed. The present invention can be incorporated into wrappers, boxes, liners, bags, tubes, covers, tubs, trays and other containers or barriers for food or beverage or other packaged goods and products, particularly where the premium can be integrated into the advertising message.
In a preferred embodiment of this invention a flexible label for consumer packaging is disclosed that includes a first layer, visible to the consumer, comprising advertising identifying the consumer product; and a back layer, wherein the label comprises at least one collectible sticker premium positioned on at least one of the layers and wherein the collectible sticker is integral with and removable from the label. In one aspect of this embodiment, the sticker is positioned on the front face of the label and in another aspect, the sticker is positioned on the back face of the label. In a preferred embodiment there are more than two stickers on the label and in another embodiment there is a single large sticker on the label. The label can be adapted to be affixed to the consumer package and in one embodiment there is a zoned area on the label suitable for affixing the label to the consumer package.
In one aspect of this embodiment, the label is positioned on a can, canister, jar or bottle. In another aspect the label or wrapper is formed as a pouch or bag, a cylinder, liner material or a tube. The label can also be part of a stack of labels, such as would be present during the assembly process.
The labels of this invention can be positioned on a variety of consumer packaging. In one embodiment, the label is positioned on a package containing a food or beverage and in another embodiment the label is positioned on a personal care product package. In another embodiment the label is positioned on a cleaning product and in another the label is positioned on audiovisual packaging polymeric material.
In another aspect of this invention the invention relates to a multi-layer flexible label or wrapper comprising a first layer having a front face, visible to the consumer, comprising advertising identifying the consumer product, a second layer having a back face comprising a removable sticker, and a third layer affixed to a consumer package wherein the first and second layers are removed together from the consumer package. In one embodiment, the consumer package is selected from the group consisting of food or beverage packaging, personal care packaging, and audiovisual packaging. In another embodiment the label is positioned on a can, canister, jar, bottle, pouch, cylinder, or tube.
In a further aspect of this invention, the invention relates to a flexible label comprising: a front face, visible to the consumer, comprising advertising identifying the consumer product and a back face, wherein the label comprises at least one transfer premium printed on the label. Preferably the transfer is selected from the group consisting of a finger puppet tattoo, finger nail applique, earring tattoo, bracelet, and transfer disguises. In another embodiment of this aspect of the invention the transfer is a decorative transfer for fabric or a transferable decoration for a food item. Alternatively the invention includes a comic strip type scene printed on the article comprises a transfer.
In a further aspect of this invention a flexible label or wrapper for consumer packaging is disclosed comprising a front face, visible to the consumer, comprising advertising identifying the consumer product and a back face, wherein the label comprises at least one painting, folding, tearing, cutting, drawing or scratch-type activity printed on the label. In one embodiment a painting activity is positioned on the article and preferably the article further comprises water moistenable paints. In another embodiment the article comprises face paints and in another the article comprises color-bleed paints, frosted inks, invisible inks and water-soluble inks. In yet another embodiment, the article comprises a hidden image and/or a scratch-suitable varnish. In one embodiment the article further comprises a laminate or varnish to facilitate repeat use of the drawing or painting activity. In one aspect of this embodiment, the activity is selected from the group consisting of puzzles, mazes, games, and figures. In yet another embodiment, the activity is a folding activity and at least a portion of one face of the article comprises a printed foldable image. In another, the activity is a tearing activity comprising creating disposable jewelry and preferably the jewelry comprises at least one bracelet. In another embodiment, the article comprises a heat-responsive material that is isolated from the label. In another embodiment the article comprises a water-soluble, readily dissolvable paper.
In another aspect of this invention the invention relates to a flexible label for consumer packaging comprising a front face, visible to the consumer, comprising advertising identifying the consumer product and a back face wherein the label comprises at least one solarchromtic, thermochromatic or glow-in-the-dark type or scented ink printed on at least a portion of a face of the label or wrapper. In a preferred embodiment, the scented ink is activated by scratching the ink. Preferably the article can be used in standard automated labeling machinery.
In another aspect of this invention, a flexible label or wrapper for consumer packaging comprising a front face, visible to the consumer, comprising advertising identifying the consumer product and a back face comprising an image, color pattern or figure and an opaque coating positioned over the figure, color pattern or image, wherein scratching of the coating reveals the figure, color pattern or image.
In another embodiment, the invention relates to a flexible label for consumer packaging comprising a front face, visible to the consumer, comprising advertising identifying the consumer product, a back face and a liner covering a food wherein a premium is positioned on at least one surface of the label or wrapper and wherein the label or wrapper has a substantially uniform thickness. Preferably the premium is positioned on the liner of the article and in another preferred embodiment, the premium is positioned on a face of the article.
Another embodiment of this invention relates to a multi-layer flexible label or wrapper for consumer packaging comprising a front face, visible to the consumer, comprising advertising identifying the consumer product and a back face, wherein the label comprises at least one flap that can be lifted to reveal a hidden image or message. In another embodiment, the invention relates to a flexible label or wrapper for consumer packaging comprising a front face, visible to the consumer, comprising advertising identifying the consumer product and a back face, wherein the label comprises at least one seed. Yet another embodiment relates to a flexible label or wrapper for consumer packaging comprising a front face, visible to the consumer, comprising advertising identifying the consumer product and a back face, wherein at least a portion of the label or wrapper comprises tenticular lens material.
The invention also relates to a method for printing a tattoo onto a wrapper or label comprising the steps of adding ink to a photopolymer plate via a rubber blanket fitted on an offset press, transferring the ink to a set of one or more rollers to offset the flexographic image, and transferring the ink from the rollers to a sheet that is then used as flexible label stock for consumer packaging.